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The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
H. Yamada, K. Kawahata, T. Mutoh, N. Ohyabu, Y. Takeiri, S. Imagawa, K. Ida, T. Mito, Y. Nagayama, T. Shimozuma, K. Y. Watanabe, M. Kobayashi, R. Kumazawa, S. Masuzaki, T. Morisaki, J. Miyazawa, K. Nagaoka, Y. Narushima, S. Sakakibara, R. Sakamoto, K. Toi, M. Yokoyama, O. Kaneko, A. Komori, O. Motojima, LHD Experiment Group
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 58 | Number 1 | July-August 2010 | Pages 12-28
Chapter 2. LHD Progress | Special Issue on Large Helical Device (LHD) | doi.org/10.13182/FST10-A10789
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Progress in the integrated development of the helical system in the Large Helical Device (LHD) is described in this paper. Understanding of net current-free plasmas has been deepened in the extended operational regime. Geometrical optimization based on neoclassical theory has revealed that good confinement, equivalent to the tokamak H-mode, can be obtained in the collisionless regime. This approach has also demonstrated that anomalous transport is reduced simultaneously, which poses a working hypothesis that optimization of neoclassical transport suppresses turbulent anomalous transport as well. With regard to the magnetohydrodynamic instability, LHD has discovered that interchange instability is benign in the magnetic hill. These two findings have produced a synergistic effect on the enhancement of confinement and plasma . Remarkable proof of the advantage of helical systems can be seen in very high density operation, which is not accessible in tokamaks. Abundant integrated knowledge about three-dimensional physics has been extracted from these achievements. This progress is important in the assessment of the potential of a helical fusion reactor and makes a significant complementary contribution to tokamaks as well.